Boots McBlog

Last summer,  my mom and dad let me borrow their cute little red convertible.   My spirits were low and something about having the sun on my shoulders and the wind in my hair seemed therapeutic at the time.    One particular evening, after a torrential rain and a terrible day,  I put the top down, cranked up “A Summer Place”  on the stereo,  and went for a sunset drive.     I looked in the sky and saw it,  a gorgeous PINK sunset.     I’m not sure in my entire life I ever noticed a sky so pink, so beautiful,  so girly!      I did what any techno-savvy, thirty-something would do in that moment of awe…I grabbed my trusty lil iPhone, took a picture,  and directly sent it over the interwebs via twitter and facebook.   The caption:

“I love it when God tells the sky she’s beautiful and she blushes.”

From that moment on, I’ve been consciously aware of sunsets and the evening sky.  I can sit for hours and watch the watercolor effects  peak and then fade until  the stars and the moon appear.  I often wonder if its an age thing.  I really don’t remember being as mesmerized by God’s handiwork as a child.    In this last year of  my sunset observances,  I’ve come to realize just how rare PINK sunsets really are.  They don’t happen every day.  So,  I did a little research.   Scientifically speaking,  the colors of the sunset are created by the light reflected through the spectrum  ( remember the prism of light –  ROY G BIV we learned about in grade school science)  and the angle at which the clouds cause the light to bend.   Purples and blues have shorter wavelengths.  Reds and oranges have longer wavelengths.  As light scatters and is reflected amongst the clouds,  the shorter lengths don’t travel as far and the oranges and reds show up more brilliantly.   The rare pinks it seems, happen when there is more atmospheric dust  kicked up by storms and pollution.  These dirty particles reflect the light in all different directions and turn the sky PINK.

That got me thinking…

These beautiful pink skies….the sunsets I sit and enjoy the most – are because light is shining through a bunch of atmospheric junk.      The Creator of all things could choose to present this  spectacular  evening  light show in any fashion He chooses,  and yet this is how He casts the rosiest of light upon the world.

He does the exact same thing with us.   Storms happen in all of our lives.    Dust gets kicked up and we’re left with a lot of atmospheric junk.      When we choose to take that junk,  that unsettled dust in our lives,  and  we allow His Light and love to filter through it,  our lives suddenly become a glorious reflection of His creation and his grace.  When we embrace  that our mess is His message,  The Way, the Truth, The Light reflects off our dirty lives and casts a rosy glow of hope to the world,  REAL hope.  At that moment,  He looks at us and says –  we. are. beautiful.   I don’t know about you, but when the Creator  of all the Heavens can look at me and my dirt and say that, I can’t help but blush.

“You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.   God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.   If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you?   I’m putting you on a light stand.   Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven”

Matthew 5: 14-16,  The Message

As you read this today,  I’m on my way to a conference designed to help Christian writers and speakers find their voice in sharing God’s message.  I’m on a “standby list” to speak and be critiqued.   I can’t really tell you how I’ve ended up  with this as my summer vacation.  I don’t see myself as a writer or a speaker… But I’m going.  Out of faith.  Only He knows why I’ll be sitting there.   So, Pray I figure out why I’m there and I learn what I need to learn.   Pray for my safety.   I am thankful for you, my sweet friends.

Cheers and Love -

William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library was the perfect summer backdrop for Kate and Kyle to tie the knot.  A marriage ceremony  on the back lawn of the library followed by dancing into the night  in the Great Hall made for one enchanted evening.    If you’ve followed my blog for long, you know that I am a HUGE fan of the details – the fashion, food, flowers that go into making a wedding day unique to the couple.  My partnership with Heather Owens  - Belle Vie Artistry- it is a great match for us – she captures what she loves on the big day – the people,  and I capture my favorite things – the details.  Here is a glimpse into all those months of decisions over the details Kate and Kyle made that came to fruition to make their big day a bright summer celebration.

The Dress

The Shoes:

Kate chose these Kate Spade Purple Satin wonders

And of course the necessary accessories

The Pearls

The Rings

The Shades

And the mini-Fans!

(given that it was unseasonably H-O-T  for mid June, these were a fantastic idea and counted as the brides “something blue”

The Bride & Groom

The Wedding Team

The Flowers

Phil Cato’s About Vase outdid themselves with these vibrant, happy arrangements of gerbera daises, roses, and fruit.

The Food

The Cakes ( with a side of gelato – yum!)

Of all the many decisions this couple made along the way,  it is obvious choosing each other was the best decision of all.

Kate and Kyle,  Thank you so much for giving Heather and me the opportunity to be part of your big day.   We wish you a lifetime of laughs and love together.

To see this enchanting event through Heather’s lens, click on over to her blog, Heather Owens Photography.

I’m a list maker.   I enjoy the art of organization of thoughts and deeds.  I don’t always love the execution of the list.  But I do heart a well deserved check mark.    I’ve spent the last few weeks finally making some long overdue checkmarks.   Getting projects done.  It feels amazing!   With a few missions accomplished,  I’m making new lists.  I’m also revising some older ones.  Over the last 3 years,  a version of this “to do” list has hung in my office.  I wrote it the summer I was president-elect of the Junior League.  I knew my schedule was about  to become overwhelming and I wanted to remind myself of the things I should never forget — especially as I was charged to lead an impressive organization of well-respected women.  Sadly, I  grew immune to reading it.   Yesterday,  I gave it the once over again.  Then,  I decided to update it.  I deleted a few items that were not authentic to me – things I had added because at time of the first draft they sounded “cool”  or they were items I thought others  expected of  me.    In their place, I’ve added items my younger self taught me and items a few folks I admire have shown me.  Most of all,  it is a list of  the things I expect of myself.    So,  behold my  re-issued forty-one items I pray in God’s grace  ”to do” everyday.

Believe in yourself

Make every moment count

Do what you love

Embrace change

Go where you have never gone

Have an adventure

Be the first to say hello

Be the last to say goodbye

Take nothing for granted

Be positive

Find your passion

Redefine the impossible

Dance

Settle for Excellence

Be a friend

Take chances

Find the beauty

Volunteer

Make someone’s day

BREATHE

See for yourself

Make a difference

Grow towards the Light

Savor the song

Be brave

Create memories

Think BIG

Say thank you…and mean it

Expect success

Laugh out LOUD

Take good notes

Live gracefully

Love fearlessly

Have faith

Be NEW and improved

Give a cheer

Blaze the trail

Pray without ceasing

Count your blessings

Leave a Legacy

SHINE

With the humidity and triple digit heat, it’s feeling rather tropical here in the South.   My itinerary doesn’t list any Tahitian destinations anytime soon.  Instead of trying to beat the heat,  I thought I’d celebrate it with a few lush touches at home and nothing says island life to me like a coconut.   Yes,  I like pina coladas.   For those of you landlocked with me –  here are a few other things we’ll need to plan our escape.

Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Oil  is the official – albeit  taboo – scent of summer.   Drugstores still sell this.   Used as a scent and not as a sunblock, a few drops of this can unleash that carefree oceanside feeling even if you are stuck at your desk.

Of course, to have that sunkissed look of  summer,   NARS Body Glow and Monoi Body Glow II  are essentials to achieving a subtle glow with a heavenly scent of gardenia and coconut.  NARS describes this as French Polynesian.  I say it sounds more Old South meets Tahiti.

In addition to the scent of the coconut,  I love the look of a coconut.  The rough grassy dark wood paired with crisp white is one of my favorite go-to looks for summer.    For at home entertaining,  I love  setting the table with these wooden serving pieces with a natural burlap table skirt and crisp white linens, mix in some tea lights for a little shimmer.

As for dressing myself…

for day –  This little easy breezy dress from Calypso St Barth paired with long wooden beads, and kenneth jay lane bracelet for a little sparkle.

For a girls night out –  I might pair Calypso’s Dale Dress in White  with the coconut shell colored miu miu caged heels.

And for a Junior League event or charity luncheon ( who says you can’t be a tropical lady?) – I absolutely adore this Haley Dress by Milly.   Pairing it with these wooden beads  in a style appropriatly called “Where we Ought to be”  from Elva Fields (one of my favorite new finds)

My sweet friends, if destinations are limited between down home and downtown for the next few weeks,  don’t despair, we can at least grab a little shimmer, scent, and coconut inspired fashion….maybe a pina colada or two… and dream of escape.

Cheers.

This week thanks to a photographer  I follow on twitter,  I was introduced to Scala and Kolacny Brothers. Although they are new to me,  the group has been around for quite some time.  This pairing of a Belgian female chorus with classicly trained brothers has been turning out beautiful  cover songs since 1996!  How did I  miss them?   I felt better to learn  their first appearance on American soil at the New York Center happened  in Febraury 2009.

Choral music isn’t for everybody.  I realize that.  I happen to have a soft spot for it because of my years spent in school and church choir.  I also fondly remember the nights at summer camp, when all the girls would sneak out of their bunks and sing a choral rendition of praise songs to the boys.  Moonlight serenades were so dreamy and one of my favorite things about summer camp.    Scala reminds me of those happy times – albeit they don’t sing praise songs they sing covers of rock songs and ballads.    As their website describes them:

“The Scala Story is a dream come true. The  classically trained  Kalacny Brothers, Steven (piano) and  Stign (conducting) have turned this Belgian girls choir into an international phenomenon, performing imaginatively reworked covers of Radiohead, U2, Rammstein, and Nirvana songs – just to name a few. As well as their equally successful original compositions before sold out audiences through out the world.”

The 200 member choir  is made up of young women ages 16-26.    According to their website,  ”Scala Live”  will begin airing on PBS late this year, a DVD and CD  ”Circle” will be released Fall 2010, and a US tour is scheduled for 2011.     Some of my favorite covers include  U2′s “With or Without You”,  ”Every Breath You Take” by the Police, and “The Blower’s Daughter” by  Damien Rice.   If these songs don’t move you emotionally,  you may want to get your ol ticker checked out. ( just sayin)

Until their tour and release of their next album, you can bet these songs and others will definitely be on iPod “repeat” from time to time.   I’ll be singing along  adding a 201st voice to their mix.     After you take a listen you may want to be 202.